Kazakhstan – Employer of Record

Globalization Partners provides employer of record services for clients that want to hire employees and run payroll without first establishing a branch office or subsidiary in Kazakhstan. Your candidate is hired via Globalization Partners’ Kazakhstan PEO in accordance with local labor laws and can be onboarded in days instead of the months it typically takes. The individual is assigned to work on your team, working on your company’s behalf exactly as if he or she were your employee to fulfill your in-country requirements.

Our Global Employer of Record Platform™ and Global PEO service enables clients to run payroll in Kazakhstan while HR services, tax, and compliance management matters are lifted from their shoulders onto ours. As a Global PEO expert, we manage employment contract best practices, statutory and market norm benefits, and employee expenses, as well as severance and termination if required. We also keep you apprised of changes to local employment laws in Kazakhstan.

Your new employee is productive sooner, has a better hiring experience and is 100% dedicated to your team. You’ll have peace of mind knowing you have a team of dedicated employment experts assisting with every hire. Globalization Partners allows you to harness the talent of the brightest people in 150 countries around the world, quickly and painlessly.

Kazakhstan is a former Soviet state and is located in Eurasia. It is the largest landlocked country in the world, with a land area greater than that of all of Western Europe. Although nearly 18 million people live in Kazakhstan, its population density is among the lowest of any country at only 15.39 people per square mile.

When negotiating terms of an employment contract and offer letter with an employee in Kazakhstan, it may be useful to keep the following in mind:

Kazakhstan Holidays

Kazakhstan celebrates 12 national holidays:

New Year’s Day (2 days)

Orthodox Christmas

Women’s Day

Nauryz/Spring Equinox (3 days)

Unity Day

Victory Day

Defender’s Day

Capital Day

Constitution Day

Kurban-Ait

First President’s Day

Independence Day (2 days)

Bonus in Kazakhstan

Annual bonuses are common in Kazakhstan.

Working Hours in Kazakhstan

The work week should generally not exceed 40 hours, and overtime should not exceed 2 hours in one day.

Vacation in Kazakhstan

Employees are generally entitled to a minimum of 18 days of paid annual leave and should be paid at least 3 days before the employee goes on leave.

Sick Leave in Kazakhstan

Employees are generally entitled to employer paid sick leave.

Maternity/Paternity Leave in Kazakhstan

Female employees are generally entitled to 70 calendar days of employer paid leave before the birth and 56 days after the birth, or 70 days for a multiple birth.

Fathers are generally entitled to unpaid paternity leave.

Termination/Severance in Kazakhstan

Probationary periods of up to 3 months are permitted.

Employment contracts may be terminated by the employer for specific reasons as outlined in the Kazakhstan Labor Law. The employee must be notified in writing and must be given at least one month’s notice. Depending on the reason for termination, a severance payment may also be mandated by law.

Kazakhstan Tax

Employees contribute 10% of their wages to social security.

Employers generally must pay a social tax of 11% of payroll. This includes the employer’s social security contributions.

Employers are generally responsible for withholding personal income tax.

Health Insurance in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is moving towards a single-payer, universal health care system that will be partially funded through the government’s budget and partially by employers and employees.

Beginning in 2017, employers are expected to be required to contribute 2% of payroll. This contribution is expected to rise at the following rate:

2018: 3%

2019: 4%

2020: 5%

Employees are expected to begin contributing 1% of pay in 2019 and 2% of pay in 2020.

Additional Benefits in Kazakhstan

Some common employee benefits in Kazakhstan are:

Housing allowance

Transportation allowance/company car

Education allowance

Employment Contracts in Kazakhstan

Employment contracts may be for fixed or indefinite terms.

It is legally required to put a written employment contract in place in Kazakhstan, in the local language, which spells out the terms of the employee’s compensation, benefits, and termination requirements. An offer letter and employment contract in Kazakhstan should always state the salary and any compensation amounts in Kazakhstani tenge rather than a foreign currency.

This information is provided as general accepted information and is not intended as advisory services.

Why Globalization Partners

Establishing a branch office or subsidiary in Kazakhstan to engage a small team is time consuming, expensive and complex. Kazakhstanian labor law has strong worker protections, requiring great attention to detail and an understanding of local best practices. Globalization Partners makes it painless and easy to expand into Kazakhstan. We can help you hire your candidate of choice, handle HR matters and payroll, and ensure that you’re in compliance with local laws, without the burden of setting up a foreign branch office or subsidiary. Our Kazakhstan PEO and Global Employer of Record Platform provides you piece of mind so that you can focus on running your business.

If you would like to discuss how Globalization Partners can provide a seamless employee leasing or PEO solution for hiring employees in Kazakhstan, please contact us.

This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, nor should you rely on it for, legal, tax, or accounting advice in any jurisdiction. You should consult your own legal, tax, and accounting advisors as part of your expansion plans.